Nowadays everybody has a smartphone with a decent camera. There are also mirroless, DSLR's and even action cameras. So what about camcorders? Can you still have fun with them? Are there any reasons to buy one today?
First of all camcorders were made for video. That means that they are user friendly and anybody can use them. All you have to do is to press a button and start recording. You can also relax, shoot all day and forget overheating.
They have a flip out touch screen so that you can record yourself and allow you to see how you look in the frame. Actually camcorders had flip out screens before mirroless cameras and DSLR's.
Modern camcorders have an internal dedicated memory. How many times did you forget to take with you an SD card? And it is a safer option because the chances to have an SD card failure to a smartphone or a DSLR are more if we compare it with the internal memory of a camcorder. Smartphones on the other hand have limited internal memory capabilities and even some expensive smartphone like the i phone do not accept external memory cards at all.
Everything is on focus and you do not have to switch the focus mode or to learn how to focus with that tiny flexible spot or to understand the difference between center and zone focus.
Camcorders also have an optical zoom without any loses to video quality so they provide more creative control. On the other hand you do not have to buy that expensive telephoto lens. Smartphones on the other hand have a limited zoom or no zoom at all. This specific camcorder is a Panasonic HC-V380 with a 60X optical zoom and a digital zoom up to 300X. Panasonic call this Intelligent zoom.
It also comes with some special features and effects like time-lapses, the miniature effect, silent movie, 8mm movie etc. It is an old model though and you can find one only in the second hand market.
There are even camcorders like the SONY FDRAX53 with night vision and almost all of them support 4k video. Most of them have optical image stabilization so you don't need a gimbal or a tripod to stabilize your footage. Camcorders have more space for the stabilization mechanism so usually they are more effective.
Smartphones have limited options for sound recording. Camcorders on the other hand have a microphone (and headphone) jack to attach a high quality external microphone, even XLR's.
You can also use a tripod with a camcorder and record steadier videos. The ergonomics are also better because they were made for video and they have a bigger grip so they are more comfortable to use. Can you imagine yourself shooting a wedding with a smartphone? And will you able to view your subject on the smartphones screen on a sunny day? But you can choose a camcorder with an EVF - electronic viewfinder.
Nowadays there are camcorders that take great stills. They do not have a tiny sensor so they can have decent recordings under low light conditions. Some of them have a full frame sensor, although these models are usually more expensive.
So yes, owning or buying a dedicated camcorder today still makes sense. Even if you already own a mirrorless camera or a DSLR you can use a camcorder as a second - back up camera. Consider that there are even some popular youtubers that use them.
You might be interested to read about the DJO Osmo Action Camera.
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Search for a second hand Panasonic HC-V380: ebay
4K Sony with Night vision : Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk
4K Panasonic: Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk
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